site.btaABV to Seek Constitutional Amendmentson Changed Arrangements for Election of President

ABV to Seek Constitutional Amendments on Changed Arrangements for Election of President

Sofia, January 17 (BTA) - ABV is planning to consult the rest of the political forces on constitutional amendments concerning the way in which the head of State is elected and the candidates' qualifications, the party's Chairman Georgi Purvanov, who was himself President of Bulgaria between 2002 and 2012, said at a discussion on "2016 Presidential Elections: the President as Leader or Appendage" here on Sunday.

The party will insist that a president be elected on the same conditions as MPs.

Purvanov argued that limiting the eligibility for the office of president to natural-born Bulgarian citizens who have been resident in Bulgaria during the last preceding five years is archaic and should be dropped from the Constitution. Another requirement that should be repealed, according to the ABV leader, is that 50 per cent of voters should have gone to the polls for the presidential candidate and his or her running mate to be elected in the first round.

Purvanov yet again argued for broadening the powers of the head of State, including a possibility to directly initiate referendums. In his opinions, the way in which Parliament overrides the presidential veto needs to be changed as well.

In his words, ABV will be a "rather categorical alternative to the policy pursued by the incumbent President."

The former head of State argued that "the national interest dictates seeking ways to reach a broad consensus on the presidential nomination long before the elections."

"If a consensus in the Lift is lacking, ABV is ready with a candidate of its own," he said. "ABV will be ready to support other candidates only after a coalition agreement is signed."

According to the ABV leader, the presidential candidate "should not be an alternative seeking arguments in Euroscepticism, the escalation of tensions with Russia, and looking for pretexts to revive old conflicts with neighbours."